Day 45 - Casson’s Peak and Killarney
Shutting our screen doors earlier did help with the bugs last night but the heat remained. I was actually finally resting well when my early alarm went off at 6am. Captain and I snoozed a bit more and rallied the troops around 6:45 so we could get going. The kids got the anchor up and we gently glided out of the Pool with Mangata following behind us.
As we passed through Baie Fine we radioed goodbye to Mangata as they were headed back west at a slower pace and we were going to head a little more east. Hope to catch up with them again soon for sure! We stopped shy of exiting Baie Fine and turned south into a little cove we were too chicken to try last year. Marianne Cove is a cute little cut surrounded by the Killarney range. It is quite popular and it is common practice to stern tie your boat here as the shore line falls away very quickly and with the sterns’ tied boats don’t swing, leaving room for more. Thankfully there were only two other sailboats in there, one being our friends on Merging Waters from Green Bay who we have been sharing some anchorages with this year and last. Funny about their boat is we almost bought their boat at the Chicago boat show many years ago. Anyhow…we had to stern tie for the first time which meant I had to get in our dinghy and take a line to shore to tie around a tree. First part, easy. Second part was bringing the line back to Captain while he is backing Ciara with the anchor out in front, done by Cory. Managing a line and trying to keep in out of my propeller AND trying to steer was challenging but I got it. I gave the line to Dani and along with Captain, we got it done!!
We wanted to stop here because the “best hike in the North Channel” was here and I really didn’t want to miss it again. We headed to the trail head to see we were the only parked dinghy at the shore. We would have a nice private hike. To me that means talk loudly to let the bears know we are around.
The hike was pretty hard. The mosquitos were having meal of us in the comfort of the shaded forest. The trail follows orange blazed trees pretty much up the entire time. The forest floor was littered with beautiful mushrooms towered over by quartzite walls. Sometimes we would hike up and between the crevices of the rocks. I had read it was a 45 minutes hike but we made the summit in 35 even with a few little rests in there. The summit greeted us with breath taking views down to Baie Fine and MacGregor Bay to the north. Bert and Cory both immediately went looking for a plaque that Mike Cooney had told them to find. Sure enough, right there at the top is a memorial plaque for Stuart Fraser Cork (as well as his wife below). Stuart was part of a famous group of artists that hiked up to this point. Stuart painted a very famous watercolor painting of the view there and immortalized some of Canada’s most beautiful sites. We enjoyed the view and some snacks. I had two bars of service at the top and I got a ping from Sidney letting me know he did make it back to Killarney and his hotel! The way down was much easier, although it took us longer only because Captain kept stopping to pick wild blueberries and chatting with new hikers on their way up.
When we got back to Ciara the sun was blazing. We weren’t staying the night here so I didn’t really have time to swim. Cory was kind enough to pour a big bucket of water over me at my request and that really helped! We undid our stern tie and weighed anchor, on our way by noon to Killarney. The wildfire haze really started to come in so the motor sail was eerie and calm. I sat on the bow with a towel over me to protect from the sun but to get the only breeze I could find. Somehow Captain manages staying out in this all the time. I offered to take a shift but he was happy. The approach from the west to Killarney exposes us to a full fetch of Lake Huron for a short while. The protection of the North Channel spoils us greatly as we got tossed port to starboard in the swells coming in. Thankful that didn’t last long as we entered into Killarney. The familiar channel that separates the main land from George Island makes a unique town that we feel in love with last year.
We called the Killarney Mountain Lodge to see if we could pick up the last remaining mooring ball they had and they welcomed us to use it and take our time coming in to check in. We were very happy to snag this little secret. The marinas here are a no go for us so it is either a ball or anchoring outside of town a bit. There was weather forecasted for late evening through mid-day Thursday. We didn’t really want to all be held up inside Ciara with no air flow for that long so we came to town. Cory, Bert and I picked up the ball with no issues and we quickly headed to shore. We checked in and saw Red, who runs the marina and is a local legend and overall great guy. It was good to see him again, but he was busy as always so it was quick! Everyone wanted to head over to Herbert’s World-Famous Fish and Chips. I still get too nervous to order it for myself but the three who had large baskets ate them quickly and said they were still the best Fish and chips they have every had. I did have a bite, it was good, but Cory and I stuck with chicken tenders.
We held off on an ice cream treat with our full bellies and decided to head back to Ciara. We stopped at the local sundry store and picked up two 6x8 tarps so we could rig up some rain protection over our hatches in the hopes that we could leave some windows open tonight!
Back at the boat Captain and I rigged up for the weather and we all packed our shower stuff to head to shore for the evening. First shower since Cedar River for Captain and me! We felt the Finnish spa and all the fresh dipping’s into the lake were good enough, but as soon as we stepped into a real building today we could smell ourselves and knew we needed to take care of that before we enjoyed our evening at the lodge. The shower felt amazing. The humidity was so high that I just kept glistening after the shower for hours.
The lodge here has a lovely lounge that overlooks the channel and, coincidently, Ciara. The kids all wanted Canadian Shirley Temples (different then American). After they left to the recreation room to hang out Captain and I settled into a few drinks while we listened to Duncan Cameron, a local musician who plays everything from sea shanties, Irish folk songs and modern classics. He has a stand with about 6-8 stringed instruments, a harmonica and mixer at his feet so he can loop music and play all the parts at once. He is amazing to watch and joy to listen to. We made friends at the bar, of course. Barry and Christine were next to us and we found out they also have a camp, theirs on Manitoulin Island just past Clapperton Island. He showed me where and showed me pictures of his private lighthouse (!) and 40 ft teepee (!) with beautiful eagle art done on the outside. We have an invitation to go visit them now and I am very tempted! We will see if the winds align this year or hopefully next. Really cool folks. He didn’t have a plane though. Just his own helicopter! Then we met Martin by means of Fireball. He bought everyone at the bar a shot. That was my first ever Fireball, which tells you how often I do shots. It was nice and easy which makes that dangerous. As we enjoyed the sun setting, the music and good friends we saw Sidney walking outside of the lounge just before he came in! He joined us and we all got one more shot of Fireball. The kids came for refills on their virgin drinks and were happy to see him as well! The night went way too quickly and Duncan finished up his set. Dani put some cash in the tip jar and we hope to come back tomorrow. We told the bar staff we would bring them some bloody mix and maybe some other WI treats tomorrow.
We dodged the worst of the storms all night. Jodi and Brooks, only a few miles to the west of us got more then we did. We got the kids back and took Kona for her night walk. Of course we met more folks enjoying the cooler weather. Andy and Matt were super fun and I wished we could have chatted longer but bed was calling. Another wonderful and full day for the crew of Ciara Madeline. Everyone is happy to spend another day here tomorrow as we wait out big winds. The cool air will mean a good night’s sleep!
